To Love Again
by Dragonlow
Summary: Darien Chiba is a cold, heartless business tycoon. Ever since his father remarried he’s had almost no contact with his family. That is, until he meets Serena, his stepsister…and everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

4/2/03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 1/?

Summary: Darien Chiba is a cold, heartless business tycoon. Ever since his father remarried he's had almost no contact with his family. That is, until he meets Serena, his stepsisterand everything changes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story. Hiya! This is my second fanfic! I've always loved these kind of fanfics, so I figured I'd try writing one! Doesn't hurt, does it? Okay, I have nothing else to say, I guess. Enjoy! 

***

"Mr. Chiba, please—"

"It's no use begging, Mr. Collins. I've made my decision. You just haven't been taking proper care of your company. Its stocks are continually dropping."

"But, Mr. Chiba, this company has been in my family for years! It's all I have left!"

"Not anymore, Mr. Collins. Now, I have some other important matters to take care of."

"Like taking over other companies?"

"Actually, yes. Good-bye, Mr. Collins." With that said, Darien Chiba hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, though. No, Darien Chiba never smiled like _that_. It was dark and self-satisfied. But not happy. Never happy.

He was about to make another phone call when there was a knock on his open door. He looked up to see his secretary and friend, Mina Harper. Mina was just about the only close friend he had. They'd known each other since college, and when Mina had been fired from her job, he'd fired his secretary and hired her, to help her out. He gestured her inside, seeing the hesitant, worried look on her face.

"What's wrong, Mina?"

"Wellyou see—Darien, I'm"

He was getting impatient. Mina was close to him, but that didn't stop him from snapping at her when he felt annoyed. "Out with it, Mina!" he said sternly.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out, blushing.

Darien was shocked, but used years of practice to hold the emotion in check. "What?" he asked calmly, though he still couldn't keep some of the disbelief out of his voice.

Mina turned redder. "I'm pregnant," she whispered, looking down at her feet.

"Is it—?"

Mina nodded her head in confirmation.

Darien cursed. How could this have happened? He looked up at her and asked, "How many months?"

Still looking down at her feet, Mina said softly, "One. I was hoping you could"

Nodding his head stiffly, he said, "Of course, Mina." Seeing her saddened look, he tried to be kind. "Why don't you take an extended lunch break. I'll manage just fine without you." He got up and went to her, putting an arm around her. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

Mina nodded, then looked up at him with a small smile on her face. 

"Okay, Darien. Thank you." She walked out of his office feeling slightly better now that the weight of her important news had been lifted somewhat.

Inside, Darien closed the office door and walked back to his desk. He took out a phone book and looked up a number before picking up the phone and dialing it. It rang three times before it was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Andrew. We need to talk."

***

Andrew Tsukino walked confidently into the entrance of the building of Chiba Co. At least, it looked like he was confident. He'd learned long ago that dealing with Darien Chiba was 50% presentation, and 50% brains. Andrew figured he had enough of both to spend 15 minutes with the man. He entered an elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. The ride was short, and in a matter of seconds Andrew was walking toward Darien's office. He looked towards the desk to say hello to Mina, but she wasn't there. He checked his watch and realized she was probably on her lunch break. Darien's door was closed, so he knocked.

"Come in," a muffled voice barked at him. He opened the door to see Darien sitting behind his desk, waiting for him. He gestured to a chair for Andrew to sit in. He didn't sit. He needed all the leverage he could get with Darien.

"Good afternoon, Andrew," Darien said coolly. 

"What is it that you want with me, Darien?" Andrew demanded, getting straight to the point.

"Not one for pleasantries, are you, Andrew?"

"I've learned," Andrew said stiffly. "Now, what is it that you want?"

"Well, it seems we have a small problem here."

He became instantly suspicious. Not that he wasn't already. "What kind of problem? Come on, Darien. You and I both know I don't want to be here and you don't want me here. Why have you contacted me after four years? I know how much you hate me, though I'll never know why. Just because we're brothers—"

"_Stepbrothers_," Darien said harshly. "You aren't of any important relation to me."

"Yeah, I know," Andrew said bitterly. "The minute your dad married my mom, you cut ties from all of us. You wouldn't even know me if it weren't for that damn college party. You don't know how many times I've beat myself up for going, because I met you that night."

"This isn't what I wanted to talk about, Andrew. Believe me, I 

regret that night just as much as you do. The only reason you're here now and not in the streets where you belong is Mina."

"Mina? What's she got to do with this?"

"Everything. You got her pregnant, Andrew. She's been pregnant for a month." (AN: Did you think Darien was the father? You were supposed to!!! Tell me if I succeeded in making you believe that!!!)

Andrew gaped at Darien, speechless. After a moment's silence, he got his voice back. "She'sshe's pregnant? With _my_ baby?"

"That's right, Andrew. And now, we're going to have a little talk about the responsibility you need to own up to."

"Wait a minute, Darien! You have no right to talk to me about this! This is between Mina and me! Keep out of this!"

"For your information, Andrew, Mina asked me to talk to you, since she knows how commitment phobia you are. Even if she didn't request this of me I would have done so regardless. Mina is like a sister to me."

"Yeah? Well, what about your real sister! Serena just lost her boyfriend! What about beating him up?"

"She is not my sister! I've never even met the girl."

"And who's fault is that, Darien? Because it sure as hell isn't hers!"

"It was mine, entirely, but I really don't care. She's nobody."

"Don't talk about my sister like that, Darien!"

"We're getting off subject, here. What about Mina?"

"Mind you own fucking business! I told you it's no concern of yours! It's between me and the woman I love!"

"You love me?" a soft voice exclaimed. Both men turned to look at the forgotten open door to see Mina standing there, looking at Andrew hopefully. Andrew crossed the room and took her hands in his.

"Of course I do. I'm so happy you're pregnant with my baby. I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner!"

She blushed. "I'm sorry, Andrew, I was justafraid. I know how much you hate being tied down"

"Sweetie, that was before I found you. I love you, Mina. All I want to do is spend my life with you and raise our child. I know I was a player before, but I truly love you."

There were tears in Mina's eyes. "Andrew, I love you, too!" She threw her arms around his neck, laughing.

Andrew looked down at her, smiling. "Come on, we have a lot to talk about." They walked away, completely forgetting Darien, so wrapped up in their own world as they were. Darien watched them go before turning back to his desk and getting back to work. Thanks to this whole fiasco, he was behind schedule.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Not looking up, he waved them inside. "Come in."

"Umexcuse me, but, is Andrew here?"

"Do you see him here?" he snapped, finally looking up. _Why would someone ask such a stupid question? He's obviously not here.'_ Standing a few feet into his office was a woman a few years younger than he. She reminded him of Mina, with long blonde hair, and big blue eyes. She was smaller, though, more petite, and prettier. She looked more innocent. She was just standing there, looking at him uncertainly, but bravely.

"Andrew's not here," he said shortly. He turned back to his papers, assuming she took this as her dismissal, as it was meant to be. He was slightly startled when she spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I know you're busy—"

"Yes, I am. Now if you would just exit the building I could get back to work."

Now she was angry. She didn't look so innocent anymore. "Look, I'm really sorry I disturbed you, but there's no excuse for being so rude! I'm just here to find Andrew!"

"Rude? Sweetie, you haven't seen rude," Darien drawled. "Besides, why should I be polite to you? You're no business associate, and let me tell you, I'm not so nice to _them_ either. You aren't even a friend. You just come waltzing in here, expecting me to be polite to someone like you. For all I know, you're one of Andrew's little whores."

She gasped, blue fire in her eyes. "How dare you?! Andrew would never cheat on Mina! He's going to marry her! I helped him buy the ring myself! And what do you mean, someone like me'? I haven't done anything to deserve this kind of treatment! You just hate me because I'm the daughter of your father's wife!"

Darien was taken aback by this last statement. _Dauther of my father's wife? That would make herSerena?'_

As if reading his mind, Serena said icily, "Yes, that's right _Mr._ Chiba. I'm Serena. Andrew's sister. The sister you never wanted to meet. I'm sorry I've ruined that plan by coming here, but all I'm trying to do is find my brother. You're right, I can't see him here, so I'll leave. Have a nice day, Mr. Chiba." She turned and started for the door, then stopped and turned back around. "One more thing. I find it highly unlikely that you have any friends with your rude disposition." With that last barb, she turned back around and left.

Darien stared at the spot where he'd last seen her. _Well, that wasinteresting. I never knew Serena Tsukino would be thisoutspoken. Not that I expected anything. I never even expected to meet her. But never would I have expected our first meeting to be like that. Oh, well. The chit has lost me a good 15 minutes of work time.'_ With those last thoughts, Darien Chiba went back to work. In an hour, he'd forgotten all about the young woman.

***

Well, that's all for now! Did I get across that Darien has pretty much no feelings? He's not even a "ladie's man." I hope you liked this chapter! PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!


	2. Chapter 2

4/2/03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 2/?

Summary: Darien Chiba is a cold, heartless business tycoon. Ever since his father remarried he's had almost no contact with his family. That is, until he meets Serena, his stepsisterand everything changes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon.

Hiya! Chapter 2 is here! Thanks to: fireangel, Sailor-Kaio-Cannon, kirei*snow*tenshi, Miami-Lu, Ryoko, sadprincess2000, PixieChalk, Leigh, StarChild, hades, hulaberrie07, Kousagi-chan, Michi, and moony. THANK YOU so much for your great reviews! Love ya'll lots! I'm not sure if I like this chapter too much. It's kind of boring. I couldn't think of anything else right now. If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, let me know and I can revise it. Oh, yeah, FYI, incest is only between _blood_ relatives! Ok! On with the story!

***

****

3 months later

"Oh, Serena, I'm so nervous! What if he doesn't really love me? What if he's just marrying me because I'm pregnant! I don't even look good! I look fat! I look fat on my wedding day!" Mina wailed.

"Don't talk about my brother like that! Of course he loves you! And he's not marrying you because of my precious little niece or nephew. Remember, I went with him to buy the ring 2 weeks before he had a clue about the baby!"

"I guess"

"Don't I guess' me! It's true, Mina. Believe it. Look, I know you have your doubts about this relationship, but believe me, it's not uncommon. You and Andrew love each other. That's all that matters. It'll be okay. I promise," Serena said, hugging her best friend around her shoulders.

"Why are you pounding all that love shit into her head? She's going to need a lot more than love to make a life. Especially with a child." The two women turned around to see Darien standing at the doorway, frowning.

"Darien! I'm a nervous wreck here! You're supposed to be encouraging me!" Mina glared at him through tear-filled eyes.

"I'm just telling you the truth. Maybe your nervousness is a sign."

"That's enough!" Serena shouted, anger boiling in her veins. "You will not do this to Mina or my brother! You may be Mina's friend', but you sure as hell aren't going to come near either of them!"

He scoffed. "Who are you to tell me what to do? I'll go anywhere I damned well please."

"Darien, please," Mina pleaded. "Just sit down or something? I really don't want to have all these unnecessary doubts. I want to be happy today. Please?"

Darien looked at her with an emotionless face before turning and leaving without so much as a backwards glance.

"The nerve of him! I can't believe he's Jonathan's son! They're as different as night and day!"

"Don't be so hard on him, Serena. He's just being realistic."

"More like pessimistic! It's like he's trying to sabatoge Andrew's and your happiness!"

"Well, he's not too fond of Andrew."

"It's not Andrew's fault that my mom married Jonathan! It's not my fault either!"

"I know, I know. He's justhe's always had family problems, andwell, I can't really explain it. I don't know if I truly understand myself."

Serena nodded, but wasn't really listening. She just couldn't understand Darien Chiba. She turned back to Mina with a bright smile.

"Okay! Let's get your make-up on! Remember, once I'm done you can't cry anymore! Your mascara will run! Now, I'll work my magic! Once I'm done, Andrew won't even recognize you! He'll think you look beautiful!"

"Serena!"

The laughter echoed around the small room.

***

****

At the reception

"May I have this dance?"

Serena looked up to see another one of Andrew's friends holding his hand out to her. They'd been at it all night, and Serena was sick of it. She had no doubt that Mina had roped them into offering to dance with her. Mina was always trying to set her up. Just because it had been 3 months since Chris

_No, I won't think about _him_ anymore. I'm just not ready to date. But, it's just a dance, and this guy _is _pretty cute'_

Serena smiled at him and took his hand. As they danced to a slow song, Serena's thoughts drifted to random things. She was preoccupied and stepped on her partner's foot more than once. By the end of the dance, her partner's feet were sore. He quickly excused himself, and Serena watched him with indifference. She was bored. The wedding had been a dream, the reception was beautiful and the food was delicious. But there was simply nothing to do. She longed to sit with her young cousins and play cards, as they were doing right now, but her mother had warned her not to do such things as she was too old for them now.

_I'm only 22. And it's not like I actually know anyone else here besides Mina, Andrew, mom and Jonathan. As if I'm going to talk to one of them.'_

Serena was interrupted from her thoughts when a voice said, "Excuse me, may I sit here?"

She glanced up to see a petite young woman about her age. She was dressed in a pretty blue dress and her bluish black hair was cut very short. Serena smiled and gestured to the empty seat beside her. "Sure, go ahead."

The woman smiled at her and sat. "Thanks. You seem as bored as I am. I don't know anyone here except for Mina and Andrew. I thought maybe I could make a new friend. My name's Amy."

"Nice to meetcha, Amy!" Serena replied, shaking her hand vigorously. My name's Serena. Andrew's my brother!"

"Oh, you're Serena! I've heard all about you from Andrew. He really loves you, you know. I'm Mina's roommate. Well, ex-roommate now that she's married. I guess I have to find someone else to share the rent with. Oh, my, I never thought of it till now!"

"You need a roommate? Well, it just so happens that I'm in need of a place to stay! How big is your place?"

"Very big. It's got 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The rent is actually cheap for a place it's size. Do you think you could move in with me? I mean, we just met and all, but you seem like a nice person"

"Thank you! You seem like a nice person, too! Of course I'll move in with you! Like I said, I need a place to stay. Why don't you give me your number and I'll call you. We can make arrangements then. For now, we should get to know each other!"

Amy smiled at Serena's infectious mood. "Okay. It's a deal."

***

"Congratulations, Mina," Darien said reluctantly.

"Aw, come on, Darien. Pretend to be a little more happy for me. I know you don't believe in love, but I really love Andrew."

He grudgingly gave her a small hug. "Congratulations, Mina," he said again, trying to sound more sincere.

"That's better! See, I knew you could pretend perfectly! So, Serena told me you were rude to her a few months ago."

"What brings this topic about? It was 3 months ago. I'm sure she told you right after it happened. She seems the gossipy type to me."

"Darien! Don't insult my best friend like that! Serena is a wonderful person, and not gossipy at all! She was just so angry at you! How could you be so rude?"

"You know me, Mina. I'm not even very nice to you."

"That's the truth. So, what did you think of her?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I really paid attention to what she was saying. She just yelled at me because I thought she was Andrew's whore, and then earlier when she said I was trying to sabatoge your wedding."

"That reminds meHOW COULD YOU CALL HER ANDREW'S WHORE! I can't believe you would actually think that!"

He sighed, knowing she wouldn't be satisfied until she got an apology out of him. "Look, I'm sorry, okay, Mina. It was a mistake."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Mina said pointedly.

"Oh, no. I'm not going to talk to that wench."

"DARIEN! It's my wedding day! I'm supposed to be happy! I can't be happy when two of my closest friends can't even say sorry to each other! And don't you ever call Serena such a demeaning name again!"

"Fine, Mina. Have it your way. It's your wedding day, so I'll try to make you happy."

She was all smiles now. "That's why I waited before bringing the subject up. Go on, Darien, Serena's over there, talking with my former roommate, Amy."

He sighed, then walked over to the laughing pair. Serena always seemed to be laughing. It was odd how one person could be so happy.

"Ahem."

Serena turned around to see Darien Chiba standing in front of her. Her eyes instantly turned cold. She was determined to treat her stepbrother as he had treated her: as if she didn't matter.

"Can I help you, Mr. Chiba?"

"No. Not really. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior in my office that day a few months back. It was wrong for me to assume you were Andrew'smistress," Darien said stiffly.

Serena was surprised for a moment before realization dawned on her. She narrowed her eyes. "Mina made you say that, didn't she? She used the excuse that it was her day and she was supposed to be happy and she wouldn't be happy unless you apologized to me. Didn't she?"

"That's right," Darien said coldly, looking at her with an unreadable look on his face.

She sighed. "Forget it. Good day Mr. Chiba."

He was slightly taken aback by her attitude. He'd expected her to blow up in his face or something to that affect.

As if reading his mind, as she seemed to be able to do, Serena, without even looking up said, "I'm more mature than you think, Mr. Chiba. Apologizing to me warrants no blowup at you. However, calling me my brother's whore and trying to make poor Mina nervous to death does. Good day, now, Mr. Chiba."

Darien knew a dismissal when he heard one. Hell, he was usually the one who said them! He walked away from the two women, deep in thought about his strange stepsister.

***

There's chapter 2! Please review! Thank you! (Hey, cool! All of that rhymes!!!!!)


	3. Chapter 3

4/13/03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 3/?

Summary: Darien Chiba is a cold, heartless business tycoon. Ever since his father remarried he's had almost no contact with his family. That is, until he meets Serena, his stepsisterand everything changes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon.

Well, here's Chapter 3! Thanks to Lady Tristana Rogue, moon-angel-princess, StarChild, sadprincess2000, and Lady Imp for reviewing! I'm glad you guys enjoy my story! =)

***

****

*1 month later*

"Hey! I'm home!"

Serena and Amy looked up to see Raye, their 3rd roommate, walk into the large apartment. After Serena had moved in with Amy, they'd decided to rent the remaining room out. Raye had immediately answered the flier and they'd soon become fast friends. Serena was always amazed at how exotic Raye looked. She had long, purple-black hair, and huge, violet eyes. She was also outgoing and short tempered, the complete opposite of shy, patient Amy. Yet, somehow, they'd all come together.

Raye went to her room and came out dressed in a short, slinky red dress. She twirled around for her roommates to look at her. "How do I look?"

"Great!" Serena replied. "Are you going on a hot date or something?"

"No, you guys are coming with me to pick up guys at a club!"

"What? No, way. I have to study–"

"No buts, Amy. You girls need to have a little fun."

"WellI'm up for it if Amy is."

The two pleading faces aimed at Amy broke her. "Fine, fine, we can go."

"Yes!"

***

3 beautiful women entered the club and turned many heads. The dark, exotic one entered first, already swaying to the music. The petite, shy, yet alluring female with the short hair entered second, and the exuberant golden angel followed behind. They sat at a small table and ordered drinks from a nervous guy who only looked like he was in high school. As they sat there, talking, Raye's eyes traveled over the club, looking for possible victims–and there were many. One of them voluntarily decided to try his luck, and lucky for him he was hot. He led Raye to the dance floor.

Amy looked around shyly before quietly trying to excuse herself to the bathroom.

"Aw, come on, Amy, it'll be fine. Just relax," Serena soothed. She grinned at the woman beside her. "Why don't we go to the bar? It'll be better there."

"Oh, I don't know, Serena"

"Pleeeeeeaaase? Try to have some fun. For me?" Serena put on her best puppy dog face.

Amy sighed, then smiled a little. "Okay, Serena. I'll try."

"Great. Now, the next guy that asks you to dance, go with him, okay?"

"What if he's some kind of creep?"

"Do you think I'd do that to you?"

Amy smiled. "No. No, you wouldn't do that to me, Serena. Okay. It's a deal."

No sooner had they sat down at the bar when someone tapped Amy on the shoulder and asked her to dance. She nervously agreed, and they headed to the dance floor. Amy looked back one more time and Serena grinned and winked at her before turning around and ordering another drink.

"What is it with you Tsukino's? Whenever I meet one of you I see you everywhere."

Serena turned around in her seat to see Darien Chiba sitting next to her. "Oh. It's you."

"That isn't any way to treat me, you know."

"Well, you know, I figured if you're going to be rude to me, I might as well be rude to you."

"I thought you'd accepted my apology."

"I did. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to forget about it."

"Fine. I guess I'll ask someone else to design my newest office building."

"What?" Serena stared at him, shocked. "How'd you know I'm an architect?"

"I did my homework."

"Why?"

Darien didn't answer. He just took a sip of his drink.

Serena decided to change tactics. "Why would you want _me_ to design your building?"

"Because you're rumored to be the best. Young, smart, creative _and_ beautiful," he replied with a wry smirk.

"So? You hate me. You hate my whole family!"

"You're still the best. And I only work with the best."

"You're willing to put aside your hatred for me to get this building done?"

"Yes."

"It's all about business, isn't it? Anything for business."

"You catch on quick, Tsukino." He drank the last of his martini.

"Why should I work for you? It's not like I'm all too fond of you, either."

"There's a lot of money in it for you." He got up from his seat.

"So? If I don't like my client, I don't work for them, no matter how much money is involved."

"Ah, yes, but wouldn't it make your dear mother happy to know that her daughter and stepson have a chance to get along?"

Serena winced. That was low. He knew about her mother's illness. And he was right. She would be happy, if there was a possible chance for Darien to reconcile with his father and come home. She'd played right into his hands and he knew it.

"Fine," she said through clenched teeth.

"Good. Here's my card. I'll be in touch," Darien said, taking a small tan card from his breast pocket. He handed it to her before walking away. She glared at his back the whole time.

***

*Ring Ring*

Serena groggily opened her eyes and looked at the clock. 7:00. AM. Who the hell would be calling at 7 in the morning?

*Ring Ring*

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Serena mumbled to the phone. She picked it up. "What the hell do you think you're doing, calling me at 7AM?!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, Serena. Darien told me to call you right away. I told him you wouldn't be up yet, but he insisted."

Serena sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Mina. What does that hellish man want at this hour?"

"He wants to make an appointment for this afternoon to meet about the designing plans."

"What? That's too short notice. Make an appointment for next week, or something. I have other clients who need more attention."

"Okay, how about next Monday? At 2?"

"Sure, sure, fine with me. Good night, Mina." Serena hung up the phone and lay back down on her bed. She had a bit of a hangover from last night. After Darien left she'd drunk a lot in her anger at him and danced till she was dizzy. All she wanted to do was sleep.

*Ring Ring*

Serena's head shot up. Not again! Why couldn't people leave her alone to rest?

*Ring Ring*

She picked up the phone. "WHAT?!" she barked.

"We need to meet today."

Serena groaned. It just _had_ to be Darien. Why did he have to ruin a perfectly good day?

"How did you get this number," she demanded.

"Mina gave it to me."

She would kill her blonde-headed friend if it was the last thing she did. Who cared if she was Andrew's wife and pregnant?

"I made her give it to me. Now, get over here so we can talk about the design of my building."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. It's too early. 7AM is not the beginning of my work hours. You're going to have to wait. Don't bother calling again because I'm taking the phone off its hook." With that, Serena hung up on the famous Darien Chiba.

***

Well, there's Chapter 3! Doing business together might be kind of cliché, but I've always loved it so I figured why not? I think this chapter's kinda boring, but that's my opinion. Hopefully others won't think so. I'll try to get the next chapter out by next week, but I can't make any promises. I've been working on a magazine my friends and I are making, so that's taking a lot of time. Plus, I'm kind of running out of ideas. Don't worry! I'll think of something! Review please! 


	4. Chapter 4

4/13/03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 4/?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon! Don't sue me!

Hey, sorry for the week delay. I've been very tired and busy. But, here's chapter 4! I hope you like it! Thanks to kirei*snow*tenshi, Lady Tristana Rogue, StarChild, Kalinda, Lady Imp, sadprincess2000, moon-angel-princess, Sailor-Kaio-Cannon, JilseponieAngel, Aqua Rhapsody, Rheia, and TeenSVHgirl! Thanks for reading my story!

***

****

8:00AM

Serena walked into her office sleepily, carrying a briefcase and a cup of coffee. After she'd hung up on Darien, she couldn't fall back to sleep. She'd decided to get an early start on all her work. She tiredly waved to her shocked secretary and walked into her office.

"Good morning."

Serena shrieked and almost spilled her precious coffee down her shirt front. "What the–?" She looked towards the voice and her mouth dropped open. Sitting in _her_ chair was Darien Chiba himself. She quickly closed her mouth and got her wits back. "FRANCIS!"

A harried looking secretary entered her office. She had a thin, stick-like figure and white-blonde hair. Perched on her beak-like nose was a pair of delicate glasses. "What's wrong?" she said hurriedly.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to let anyone into my office without an appointment!"

"W-Well, I'm sorry, Ms. Tsukino, but I thought it would be okay because he's your boyfriend and everything–"

"WHAT!"

The poor secretary became agitated by Serena's anger. "Well, I mean–"

Serena, calmer now, waved her hand away impatiently. "Never mind. Hold my calls. Oh, and if you hear any disturbing noises, don't pay any attention to them."

"Why Serena, dear, I didn't know you wanted me _that_ bad. Is it so hard for you to stay away from me for one night?" Darien said silkily, a hard glint in his eyes and a smirk on his mouth.

Both women flushed, and Francis quickly left the office. The minute she closed the door Serena turned to her step-brother. "What are you doing here? You have no right to be in my office!"

"Oh, but I do. I'm your client, remember?" He got up and folded his arms across his chest, looking slightly intimidating.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Serena hissed, forcing herself not to back down. She had never been so infuriated in her life. Serena didn't usually have a very hot temper, and one had to do much more than walk into her office uninvited to get her this angry. But for some reason Darien Chiba was getting to her like no one else could. _'It's probably because of the resentment I feel toward him for refusing to meet me after our parents got married. That really hurt'_ she thought.

"But you already agreed. Would you go back on your promise?"

"Yes."

"And what about your mother?"

Serena eyed him critically. She could tell that if she didn't agree to do this, he'd find a way to shut her down. 'No' was not a word in Darien Chiba's vocabulary. Serena didn't want her business to be shut down; people would lose their jobs and he would ruin her. She was too tired to try to get into something like this. She sighed. "Okay, but I told you that I can't meet with you today. I have appointments."

"Right now?"

"Wellno. I don't usually make appointments this early."

"Okay, then. Now's a good time to have a meeting."

"I have a lot of work to do!"

"So, just skip your lunch break. This won't take long."

"No! You can't just demand all these things from me!" Serena cried, tired and frustrated.

Darien looked at her with unblinking saphire eyes. After a long silence, with Serena trying not to cry and Darien just staring at her, he said, almost gently, "Okay. We'll meet tomorrow. 10:00AM sharp." That said, he strode out of the room, missing Serena's shocked and grateful face.

***

Darien walked towards his black Ferrari and got in. He sat there a moment. Thinking. Of his step-sister. Damn. What the hell was wrong with him? He should've been in a meeting with her right now, discussing his new office building. Instead, he was sitting in his car. What had gone through his head? He'd just seen her almost tearful state and, without thinking, given her leeway, something he would never have done with any other person. _'Damn those Tsukino's! All of them! They're all just messing with my head!'_ He thought of giving up working with the beautiful Tsukino girl, but dismissed the idea. Darien wasn't one to run away from anything that came his way. He smiled as an idea came into his head. The Tsukino's were always giving him trouble, why not play with Serena a little? She was the most niave of the three, after all. He'd be charming and sweet, just as all women wanted. And then he could play with her a little. He'd make her fall in love with him, then break her heart. It'd take a lot for her to love again. Perfect.

***

Yeah, I know, it's short, but I'm still setting it up. Darien's evil, isn't he? I honestly didn't think the story would go this way. I was just typing and I got this idea. I hope it's a slightly different twist from normal. It might be kind of juvenile, actuallyWhat do you think? I want your honest opinion! If you think it's a little strange that a grown man would want revenge like that, let me know, and if I get enough of those kinds of responses, I'll write the original idea I had. I probably won't be able to write the next chapter until around the first full week of May. I have finals next week, and a lot of other projects going on. But I'll try! I don't want to lose my inspiration! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

4/27/03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 5/?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon!

Hey, cool! I have time to write another chapter sooner than I thought! As always, thanks to kirei*snow*tenshi, ClaimingUntoughable, Fuschia, yadrianne, nadja, JilseponieAngel, white eternity, StarChild, and princess2000204 for your reviews! Also, thank you Azi and videl621 for pointing out my mistake in chapter 1! I got very mixed up there. Heh heh. It's fixed now, though. Okay, on with the story!

***

**The Next Day: 10:00AM**

"UmMs. Tsukino? Mr. Chiba is here for your appointment," Francis said hesitantly over the intercom. Francis wasn't a veryconfident person, and she'd been walking on eggshells around Serena since her outburst the morning before. Serena sighed. She'd have to do something about that. She couldn't have a secretary that was afraid of her. She'd never get anything done. "Send him in Francis," she said gently.

A minute later Darien Chiba walked into her office, looking as impeccable as ever. His crisp black suit looked as if it had never been worn and Serena had to admit it looked good on him. She wouldn't deny that her step-brother was good-looking, but he was an arrogant, overbearing bastard, and no amount of good looks could make up for that. She'd decided to try to be civil to him this morning since he'd let her be yesterday, but she wouldn't make much of an effort.

"Good morning," Darien greeted almost pleasantly. He watched her carefully under hooded eyes. She still looked tired, but much more calm than yesterday. There was still a frown on her face at the sight of him, but he'd put an end to that.

"Good morning," Serena replied tersely. "Let's get down to business. Where exactly is the location of your office, and what kind of design do you have in mind?"

"It's just a simple, 30 story office building. Square. Really tall. Tinted windows. That's all."

"Serena sighed in exasperation. Well, any architect could have done that. Why choose me if you don't exactly like me?"

"Like I said, you're the best. And I never said I didn't like you, Serena."

Serena snorted, then looked at him suspiciously. "To hell you didn't. What are you playing at?"

"Nothing. I'm just telling you the truth."

"My ass."

"Watch your tongue, Ms. Tsukino, we're in the work enviornment right now. Of course, that could easily be remedied if you went out to lunch with me."

Serena narrowed her eyes. "What's going on? Don't play with me, Darien Chiba. I have no energy for mind games."

Darien sighed, and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Look, I was just thinking. After I left yesterday I decided that we couldn't work together under these circumstances. I'm proposing a truce. You're a more interesting person than I thought, Serena, and I'd like to get to know you better."

"I guess I'm supposed to take that as a compliment," Serena said dryly. Her suspicious look hadn't changed in the slightest. "I don't trust you. You made assumptions about me and my family before you met any of us. You were rude to me and my brother when I met you. You're using my mother's illness to your advantage. You have no right to propose a truce."

"Please, Serena. I know I haven't been a brother to you, and I'd like to prove to you that I can be by taking you out to lunch. I'm trying to do something good, here."

"You want to do something good? Well, for starters, you could reconcile with your dad and meet my mom."

Darien's eyes narrowed. "You don't know my reasons for leaving my family. I just want to work well with you, Serena. I know you don't trust me, and you have no reason to, but everyone deserves a second chance, don't they?"

Serena looked at him for a long while. He had a point, there. She always gave deserving people second chances. The question was, was he a deserving person? Finally, she said reluctantly, "It's only 10:15. I have other appointments."

"I can come back at 12:00. And right now, you can show me what ideas you have for my office building."

She still looked unsure. Slowly, she said, "I'll think about it, okay? Anyway, I have an idea for your office building. Here," she said, taking out a poster with a drawing on it. Darien looked at it with admiration. Her art was very good, and the building looked unique.

"Here's what I was thinking. It's basically a skyscraper with rounded corners. One of the corners will be completely missing, except for the first floor. That part can be the entrance and on top of it you can have a modern sculpture by Lita. She's expensive, but her work is great, and she's a really nice person, to boot."

He looked at her curiously. "You know Lita?"

She smiled. "She's an old high school friend. Anyway, what do you think? There will be less floors, but you could make the demensions longer, and add floors to make up for that."

He nodded, still looking at the drawing thoughtfully. "It looks good. Make it happen."

She raised her eyebrows. He was ordering her to do things again. Well, she was tired; she'd let it go—for now. "Okay, you need to leave now, Mr. Chiba, I have other appointments," she said curtly.

Darien looked at her, puzzled. What had happened to her almost friendly demeanor? "Okay. I'll see you at 12:00," he said.

"You're assuming I'm actually going with you. I said I'd think about it."

He just smiled mysteriously and said, "See you at 12:00, Serena," before walking out the door.

Oh! That infuriating son of a— Well, he'd just have to be dissapointed. Serena wasn't going anywhere with him at 12:00.

***

****

12:04PM

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I TOLD YOU I WASN'T GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU!" Serena shouted at Darien as he drove down the street. Darien just smiled. He'd come into her office to find her working hard on some papers. She'd told him she wasn't going out to lunch with a pompous fool. He'd completely disregarded her comment and flung her over his shoulders. She'd screamed and hit him, but he'd been oblivious to her strikes. He'd carried her out the building while she screamed for the supposedly good security guards—They were all on their lunch break.

Serena fumed the whole way to a small café Darien brought her to. When he got out of the car and opened the door for her, she refused to move.

"Come on, Serena. Do you want me to carry you into the resturaunt as well?" he asked with a devilish smile. "Come, you didn't have to resort to these methods. You could have just asked me to carry you." He winked suggestively.

Serena stared at him with open-mouthed astonishment before she quickly got out of the car and walked into the café. Darien smiled and followed.

***

Okay, that's it for Chapter 5! I need to work out exactly what's going to happen in the café, so I thought I'd stop here. I'll try to update when I have some free time, which will hopefully be soon! Hope you liked the chapter!


	6. NOTICE

NOTICE

Sorry, this isn't an update! I'm still contemplating the later events. I'm just writing this to say that I won't be updating this week. It's not because I'm busy or tired. I'm just kind of depressed, and not because of a very huge thing, either. My school swim team came in 2nd during the finals; that's why. I'm part of the team, and it was really disappointing. Especially since it's the same team we lost to last year and we only lost by six points. But you don't really need or want to know about that, do you?

There is one more thing that is keeping me from updating. The computer I use to write my story is broken, and has just been sent to be fixed today. I don't know how long it will take to get it fixed, and I don't like writing new chapters on different computers. It gets frustrating if I'm looking for a chapter that's not in the computer. So, I'll try to update when the computer comes back. I'll be out of my funk by then.

Meanwhile, you can try reading my other stories. They're not too good, but they might entertain you. I really need reviews, so I can know _why_ they're not so good. I need feedback. Thanks for reviewing this story. I'm really glad you like it so much! I have over 50 reviews! I didn't expect to get 5! Thanks!

Dragonlow


	7. Chapter 6

5/20/03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 6/?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon!

Okay, okay, I'm back! I actually got the computer back about a week ago, but I found myself very busy and without ideas. So don't expect a lot from this chapter. It's just to get me going again. Thanks to Meatsy, kalinda, Mystical Angel, Aqua Rhapsody, Fellow, Lady Tristana Rogue, Usagi Usako Chiba, videl621, princess20000204, lil-popcorngurl, leeta-starr, LadySiri, Rainhe, Demon-Mystique, kirei*snow*tenshi, nadja and mackenzie for reviewing! And if you have more ideas for me, please tell me! This is getting hard

***

Serena entered the small café, fuming. Who did that prick think he is? He had no right to just carry her off like he had, and in front of the whole staff, too! They would surely talk about her now. Darien led her to a small table in a corner by a window, before leaving to get her something to eat. Serena fumed even more. Not only had he forced her to come here, he hadn't even asked her what she wanted to eat! 

Serena took a few deep breaths to calm herself. It wasn't until afterwards that she took a look at her surroundings. She was in a small, elegant café, which looked quite lovely. All of the tables and chairs looked to be made of redwood, and the walls were painted a bright yellow, making the place look cheery and comforting. Slowly, Serena relaxed, just as Darien arrived with two lattes and two pieces of chocolate cake.

She looked at him suspiciously, before realization hit her. "Oh, I get it. You're trying to make me fat so you can kill and eat me, right?"

He looked at her like she was an alien from another planet. "No, I simply thought you'd enjoy a piece of chocolate cake."

"It's poisoned, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about? It's not poisoned."

"You do know that this isn't lunch food, right?"

"Yes, but wouldn't you like desert first?"

"Ha! I knew it. You're up to something!"

"How does that comment mean I'm up to something?" he asked, still looking at her strangely.

She shrugged. "I don't know. It just does. My brother told me about you. I've been warned."

"Oh? So he spoke of me often?"

"No. I just kept asking him questions. I was stupid, thinking that I would have a new brother who I could love and actually loved me back. He wouldn't have said anything, but he told me so I wouldn't try to hunt you down or something. He was protecting me. Like brothers do."

For some reason, her words hit him. They were spoken off-handedly, and without much emotion, but he could tell she was serious. He almost wished he'd been there for her from the beginning. Then he remembered why he was doing this. He composed himself.

"So, what have you been doing with your life, Serena?"

She looked at him hesitantly. She had slowly started to eat the cake and had to admit it was delicious. He'd never know she thought so, though. "Why is it any business of yours? Anyway, don't you already know?"

"I am your brother--" he said. She snorted at this. He continued. "--and I don't already know. I know everything about your business, not your personal life."

"Well, then, you'll have to do some checking into my personal life, because I'm not about to tell you."

He grinned devilishly at her, a grin he knew melted many women's hearts. On Serena, however, it seemed to have no effect. "Is that an invitation for me to stick around?"

She huffed at his interpretation of her words. Inside, though, she was struggling. Darien Chiba may be an insufferable jerk that she wouldn't stay around for more than 1 minute, but she wasn't blind to how handsome he was. His smile was definitely sexy. "Look, thanks forwhatever this was," she said, gesturing to the food, "but I think I've spent enough time here with you. Make an appointment and we'll talk about your building, okay?" Without so much as a good-bye, she walked out of the café.

Darien wasn't about to let her go that easily. He went after her, leaving a tip behind. He caught up with her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. She looked at him angrily.

"Look, what--"

He didn't let her finish. He bent down and crushed his lips to hers. For a moment they stood there, kissing. Well, Darien was kissing her. She wasn't responding. She was too surprised, which was why she let it go as far as she did. As soon as she got her senses back, she pulled away.

"What the hell is your problem!" she screamed.

Darien looked surprised himself for a moment, but composed himself. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

Serena sputtered. "You know exactly what I mean! First, you're completely rude to me, then you're sort of nice, then you say you want to be the brother you never were before, then you're rude again, and then you KISS ME!"

Darien smirked. "I was just seeing which I liked best. I think I like kissing you best."

"YOU ARROGANT BASTARD! Get the hell away from me! Forget the job, forget the money, forget my mo--" Serena stopped herself. Reminded herself why she was really doing this job. Then glared at him with all the hatred in her heart. She saw a taxi out of the corner of her eye and quickly hailed it, leaving Darien standing there, watching her.

***

Darien entered his office, silently cursing himself. What had possessed him to kiss her? What had possessed him to say he liked it? 'Darien, you're going to ruin your plan before it gets started,' he thought. The plan had been to become friends with her, and then slowly but surely make her fall in love with him. And then he'd break her heart. But he wasn't supposed to kiss her. Seeing her, on the street, angry, had done something to him. She'd looked beautiful. Not that she wasn't already. But when she was angry, her composed façade fell, and he saw the real Serena, who was much more beautiful than anything he'd imagined. He sighed. He had to stop this. He had to just follow the plan. Yes. Just follow the plan.

***

Serena paced her own office, thinking. About Darien Chiba. And his kiss. That wonderful, sensual--"No, Serena! Stop thinking that! It was rude, and uncalled for, and totally unromantic!" she said to herself. 'But that doesn't really matter, does it?' she thought. 'It was still the best kiss you've ever experienced.'

"AH! STOP IT, SERENA!" she yelled. Instantly the door burst open.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Lita, Serena's friend and business partner exclaimed.

Serena sighed. "I'm sorry, Lita. I've been having a really bad day, that's all."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really, no. Thanks, though."

"No prob. I'll be around if you change your mind."

"Thanks, Lita."

As Lita left, Serena thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?'

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

That was easier than I thought. Once I got started. It was very very very hard to get started. I still need help, though! REVIEW!!!! 


	8. NOTICE 2

This is to tell you that I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have serious writer's block that I haven't even been trying to deal with all summer. I'm very ashamed of myself. I'm such a horrible person. I'm doing exactly what I hate as a reader. I will get the next chapter up by the end of the week. I PROMISE!!!!!!!!!

On a side note, to those who think I'm going too fast with this story, I'm sorry, I agree, but I don't know if I can make it any other way. I'll try, though!!

Thanks for reading!!!

-Dragonlow 


	9. Chapter 7

8.20.03

Title: To Love Again

Author: DragonLow

Chapter: 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon!

Okay, I had expected to get this out yesterday, but some unexpected stuff came up. But I've still kept my promise! I want to thank cd-girl for her suggestions; they were great, and also all my reviewers. But this chapter really wouldn't be as it is without Aqua Rhapsody!! Thank you! Even though I added and changed your scene, this chapter is really by you!! I couldn't have done it without you!

Okay, I'm done, here. The chapter is a very short, but I think it's pretty good. Enjoy!

******

Darien walked past Mina the next morning, looking slightly less than his usual impeccable self. He had been up late trying to work and failing miserably, still thinking about yesterday's events.

"Good morning, Darien!" Mina chirped. "How are you today?"

"In a bad mood," Darien replied grumpily.

"Well, what else is new?" the ever cheerful blonde replied. Mina was only 5 months pregnant and the hormones hadn't quite kicked in. Darien almost couldn't wait until they did; she'd be a little less annoying then. Without another word to her, he strode to his office, anticipating many long, uninterrupted hours of work.

"Oh! Darien, I forgot! You have a conference scheduled this morning! Your clients are waiting in the main conference room."

Darien whirled around to face Mina. "What are you talking about? I have no conferences scheduled today. Tell them to get out and make a real appointment next week or something."

"But, Darien, they say they have appointments."

Darien sighed. He'd obviously have to handle this himself. Mina was set on being difficult today. He strode purposefully to the elevator, his usual frown a little deeper. He tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator rose, and when the double doors finally slid open he went straight to the conference room. He opened the door to reveal 5 young women and a table covered with notebooks, diagrams and samples.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Darien bellowed. "Get out, before I call security! You have no business being here without first making an appointment!"

All five women stood, looking annoyed. Darien, thinking he had succeeded in getting rid of them, gave a satisfied smile.

"Why, Darien," a voice behind him said. "We do have an appointment. Just like the surprise, crack of dawn appointments you attempted on me."

Darien turned. His smile had disappeared. "Serena?"

"Who else? This is my staff," Serena said, gesturing to the women, who now had smug smiles on their faces as they seated themselves again.

"I didn't hire these people," Darien said, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"But you only work with the best, Darien. And I assure you, my staff is the best."

"This is Amy," she continued, gesturing to a short blue-haired woman. "She's my roommate and the general contractor." Amy nodded absentmindedly in greeting before turning back to the contract she'd been pouring over when he'd first arrived.

"This is Michelle," Serena said, nodding towards an aqua-haired woman in a teal business suit. "She'll be the interior designer of the building. She's absolutely fabulous."

Darien nodded dumbly.

"We've briefly discussed a sculpture over your first floor, and I told you Lita would be able to create just the thing. I was right, too, she's already come up with some great ideas."

"Amara here does glasswork, and she's going to fit the windows on the building." The tall amazon woman looked at Darien coldly but didn't say a word.

"And finally, we have Trista, who won't really have anything to do with the creation of this building except to handle any disputes we might have. Trista is my lawyer."

Darien looked around at all five of the hard working women before turning back to Serena.

"Ms. Tsukino, a word?"

"Of course, Mr. Chiba." Serena turned to her friends and co-workers. "I'll just be a moment. Then we can start on the details.

Darien led Serena out of the room before beginning his tirade. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What you wanted. I've brought in the top people from all fields pertaining to building a structure."

"Well, you didn't discuss it with me," Darien hissed.

"I don't see why I should discuss who I hire for this building when you won't listen to me about whether or not I want to have lunch with you," Serena said nonchalantly.

"Why are you being so damn difficult?" Darien asked exasperatedly.

Serena looked him square in the eye. "Because I'm tired of these games you're playing, Darien. I'm not doing this job for my mother anymore. I'm doing it to prove that I can handle you. Because I _can_ handle you, Darien Chiba. And nothing's going to stop me from finishing this job." With that last remark she walked back into the conference room.

******

Done! I know it's really short, but it's such a nice place to stop, and I'll get the next chapter out sometime next week. School's starting next week, but I don't think that'll be too much of a problem. I seem to find it harder to write over the summer than during school. Strange, I know, but that's just the way it works, I guess. I hope 


	10. Chapter 8

9.20.03

To Love Again

By Dragonlow

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

So sorry about the delay! I know I promised I'd get this to you about 3 weeks ago, but chaos ensued in my personal life and things were a little hectic. Fortunately, I have some free time, so here's the next chapter!

******

Darien just stood outside his main conference room for a few minutes, trying to compose himself. Well. She was certainly starting to fight back. This could make his plan a little harder, but he felt up to the challenge. His face fixed itself into his usual uncaring expression and he walked back into the conference room, acting as if nothing surprising had just taken place. 

The women all looked up as he closed the door behind him, and suddenly something came to him. He was in a roomful of women. Very beautiful women. He couldn't believe his anger had blocked this fact from his mind. This was perfect for his plan. He smiled charmingly at them all. "Ladies."

He watched them carefully for their reactions. The quiet one with the blue hair blushed but turned back to the contract after glancing up. Both Lita and the dirty blonde haired woman scowled at him unpleasantly, unimpressed by his charm. Serena's lawyer smiled beautifully at him, but he could see she would not fall for his charms. Now the aqua-haired womanMichelle was her name. She was the only one to give him a friendly smile. He noticed how tall and graceful she looked, absolutely beautiful. He gave her another smile. She was the one.

"Well, ladies, what do you have for me today?" he asked, making sure to sit down next to Michelle.

Serena eyed him thoughtfully. What was he up to? She had to watch him very closely. She cleared her throat and said, "Well, Mr. Chiba, I've already given you my thoughts on how the building should look. You haven't given me any input, so I'm going to assume that it's alright with you and we'll work from that." Darien nodded attentively.

"As I've mentioned before, Amara will be doing the glasswork for the building. I assume you want them all tinted?" At Darien's nod, she continued, this time speaking to Amara. "Why don't you tell us what you have planned, Amara."

Amara nodded and stood. "I'll be honest with you, Mr. Chiba. You're really not giving me much to work on," she said coldly. "I don't really see what I can do for you, it seems that my talents are being wasted with this project. But Serena thinks that I can add my creative touch to this building, so I would suggest that, instead of a black tint, which is what would normally do for a building like this, we can have an equally dark color instead. It can be anything from blue to purple to red. It would give the building a nice look. I'm no good with colors—that's Michelle's line of work—but I'd suggest a color that matches Lita's sculpture." She sat back down, done with her input on the building.

Darien nodded, liking the idea. Lita stood as Amara sat back down. "I have some ideas for the sculpture, but nothing to show you yet. I have some color schemes for it, though. The sculpture can be a lot of bright, bold colors, like red, yellow, green and orange. If you don't like that, you can always choose a color and I can work with the different shades." She looked at Darien for his answer.

"I'd like this building to stand out, so I think the bold colors would be best," Darien replied.

"That would make the red tint best," Michelle put in.

Darien smiled at her. "Yes, that's a good idea," he said.

Michelle raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I know."

"What do you have for us, Michelle?" Serena asked abruptly.

Michelle stood up and began. "I think that the offices should be a warm color, like cream or toffee. We don't want too much color inside them, because that can distract the workers. The hallways and lobby, however, should be a little more colorful. I think the lobby should be a soft yellow, and all of the floors should have a different color scheme. There should be a few floor plants and some excellent photography of things that relate to your business."

The whole time she was talking, she was looking directly at Darien. And Darien made sure to listen to her attentively, smile, and nod, obviously flirting with the beautiful woman. As much as he wanted to see Serena's reaction, he made sure to pay attention only to Michelle.

Michelle nodded, finished, and sat back down, glancing at him. He smiled. Then he looked at Serena, as if to see what was next. Really, he was just trying to see her reaction. And he wasn't displeased with it at all. Her mouth was set in a firm line in obvious annoyance and she looked almostjealous. Perfect.

"Anything else that needs to be said?" Darien asked, all business again.

"Nothing," Serena said shortly. We can all meet again in a couple of weeks and see how things are progressing. Amy will have a contract drawn up by then."

"Well, alright, then." Darien stood up. He smiled at all of them, making sure to linger at Michelle for a few seconds longer. "It was nice meeting you all," he said, still looking at Michelle. She smiled back. He looked back up at the rest of them and nodded. "Good work." That said, he strode out of the room and headed back to his office, a satisfied smile gracing his face.

***

Serena stormed back into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. Raye looked up from the TV, eyebrows raised. "What happened?"

"That idiot was flirting with Michelle! And she was falling for it!" Serena fumed.

"And?"

"Andand nothing! That's it!"

"Why do you care who he was flirting with?" Raye asked curiously.

"I don't care! I justI don't want Michelle falling for the likes of him!" Serena said. Now she was confused, though. Why _did_ she care?

Raye smiled. "Sounds like someone's jealous."

"WHAT! I am not jealous! He can flirt with anyone he wants! See if I care!" She marched into her room and slammed the door. Raye just shook her head and turned back to the show she'd been watching.

Inside her room, Serena tried to work on other projects, but Raye's words kept coming to her. Why the hell would she be jealous? She didn't like that aggravating idiot at all. She rubbed her temples, tired. It was a good thing she didn't have a lot of work to do, because right now she just wanted to lie down and take a nap, something she hadn't done since she was small. She changed into more comfortable clothes and climbed into her bed. She soon drifted off to sleep, cold blue eyes haunting her dreams.

******

Well, I don't know if I showed the flirting too well, but there it is! Things are finally developing!!!! I can't promise when I'm going to get the next chapter out, but hopefully it'll be soon!


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